Routine Disruption: The Good, the Bad, and How to Stay Grounded

Recently my daughter finished the school year and one thing I looked forward to is the change in routine. She has a break before summer camp so that means not having to make school lunches and all the other things that come with getting kids ready for school.

I love changes in routine because it switches things up. There is a sense of variety, renewed energy, and even new perspectives. It also can provide a break to just breathe a bit or develop yourself such as bringing a book on vacation.

Changes in routine often comes from new experiences or opportunities. With all the joy of novelty and possibilities, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be as simple as taking a different route to work. This still shakes up what was and provides a window of difference.

Of course, change in routine has its downfalls too.

You have surgery and you lose your workout routine. The streak you built up over the course of the year is gone.

You’re on vacation but part of you cannot shake the dread of coming back to a back log of emails and work.

You got laid off and you’re uncertain about whether you can find something else.

These are just a few examples of the not-so-great side of changes in routine. Change in general is often challenging. Grieving what was, or what you were, is common with change.

The good news is that there are things you can do to help with the downsides of a change in routine.

In terms of losing a streak, you can feel your feelings about it, then “get back on the saddle” when you can. As humans, we tend to go through slips and surges. If we just accept that, as opposed to giving into “all or nothing” thinking, we’ll have a better time getting back into routine. Imperfect action is better than no action at all.

Dreading a back log of emails or work? You can manage expectations before you leave on vacation about which communication will be returned and when (e.g., in a few days, within a week, etc.). You can also decide what to ditch, what to delegate or barter, and what to do. Dividing it up this way helps to take the load off.

As for the uncertainty in changes in routine, find support and know that whatever situation you find yourself in, it’s temporary. You’ll most likely “come out on the other side” as you have done before. If you’d like more tips on how to deal with uncertainty, you can check out this blog post I wrote last year.

Regarding grieving what was, I find identifying and accepting those feelings helps. If you understand having those feelings is natural, perhaps it lessens the sting, and you can possibly express some self-compassion.

Depending on the change in routine, it can be a refreshing prospect or an anxiety-laden situation. Either way it’s a disruption to what was and what could be.

If you’re in habit, or stuck, and would like to a new perspective on things, schedule a Get Acquainted & Strategy Session to explore this and next steps.

Best,